Carolyn Robertson
posted in CelebritiesWhat do Gwyneth Paltrow and Minnie Driver have in common?
Both are celebrities, of course. Both are mothers. Minnie dated Matt Damon while Gwyneth dated Ben Affleck (remember that?). There's something else that ties these two actresses, though: They both shared the same elite British nanny.
Gwyneth and Minnie are two of the very high profile names on nanny Rachel Waddilove's client list, and both are huge fans.
“When I was a brand new mother, I was overwhelmed!" Minnie, mom to son Henry, writes in a testimonial to her former nanny's services. "Rachel has a calmness, and knowledge about babies and children, that not only helped me soothe and ease the journey for me son, but also for me! Her tips and advice are invaluable.”
Gwyneth, who has kids Apple and Moses, gushes, "Rachel’s advice on everything from breastfeeding to parenting was invaluable."
As most parents will attest, one of the biggest challenges after bringing home a baby is figuring out how to get her to go to sleep - and to stay that way for longer than 10 minutes!
Rachel, who has over 40 years experience as a "maternity nurse, child-care expert, baby sleep expert, parental adviser and author," is now sharing some of her baby sleep advice with the masses. Take a look at the four top tips she shared with US Magazine.
Sounds like some solid advice - but not exactly groundbreaking. Still, it does offer up a very good reminder.
I'm no expert, but I'd probably add one caveat to Rachel's list: Some babies just aren't great sleepers. Period.
I have two kids: The first was sleeping through the night (or "STTN" in BabyCenter speak) by eight weeks old. I credited this to the fact that I'd established a very firm sleep routine; I topped her up with a bottle and swaddled her before bed; she had a lovey, a white noise machine, a black-out blind. Check, check, check! I did everything just as I was supposed to, and it worked.
I stuck to the same pattern with my second baby. Check, check, check! She didn't sleep through the night until she was two years old. In my admittedly limited experience, even if you religiously follow all of the best advice, it may still take a while to reach that holy grail of milestones.
Just know that it's not necessarily your fault - it's not necessarily something you should be doing but aren't, or something you are doing but should stop - and you will get there eventually. My once poor sleeper is now five years old and rarely makes a peep at night.
How long did it take your baby to "STTN?"
These 23 kids show what "sleeping like a baby" REALLY looks like...
Photos: PR Photos
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